President Donald Trump — U.S. forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz Sunday, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), marking the first publicly confirmed strike on Iran in weeks.
CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed in a statement to TIME the strikes on the launchers on Larak Island, adding that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces “were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines” into the strait.
Last week, U.S. forces finished clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes.
“U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” Hawkins added.
Iran attacks US bases in Jordan
Axios later reported, citing a U.S. official, that Iran launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan in retaliation for the strikes. Therefore, jordan’s armed forces said it intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early Monday morning.
Iranian state news agency IRNA carried a statement from the Revolutionary Guards issued soon after the U.S. strikes saying that Iran will respond to the attacks on Larak Island “with punishment for the aggressor”.
In a statement, CENTCOM rebuffed the Revolutionary Guards’ claims, describing the Sunday attack as “limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat” to the strait.
Before the Sunday strikes, the last time the U.S. military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, announcing a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of IRGC targets in Iran, including command centers, missile and drone facilities. Additionally, coastal surveillance and defense sites.
On Aug. 1, President Donald Trump said that he agreed to “hold off” strikes in Iran at the request of the U.S.’s regional allies in the Middle East.
How the U.S.-Iran war began
The strikes mark the latest escalation in the war, which began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran. Therefore, trump described the operation as a “massive and ongoing” campaign intended to eliminate what he called imminent threats from the Iranian regime and openly encouraged Iranians to overthrow their government.
The attacks came after U.S.-Iranian negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program failed to produce an agreement and amid the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. Trump had accused Iran of rebuilding its nuclear capabilities following U.S. and Israeli strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. Therefore, iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo of the Feb. 28 campaign. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel, U.S. military bases and other sites across the Middle East, widening the conflict throughout the region.
The war also led Iran to militarize and largely close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit routes, through which about a fifth of global oil production typically passed before the hostilities.
A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports was lifted under a June agreement. However, Trump reimposed it after that deal and its accompanying cease-fire fell apart.
About The Author
